Friday, 25 September 2015

Review | Cuisinart Sandwich Maker + COMPETITION

To all those starting university this year, there are a few staple foods that'll carry you though those late night study sessions, post-night out cravings & budget friendly lunches. If you have previously read my Student Meals post, you'll understand the importance of eating good food on a budget. A must-have meal for me for as long as I can remember is the humble toastie. It is quick & easy to make and the result is always a yummy warm concoction!

This post plans to take student meals to a gourmet level! Cuisinart have kindly sent me their brand new Sandwich Maker to review* and I have created a few inventive recipes to satisfy your food needs. At the end of this post you can find out how to win a Cuisinart Sandwich Maker!

Product Review

Now I've been using this product for a week, I'm completely obsessed. It is definitely a stylish addition to my kitchen counter. The Sandwich Maker has a stainless steel exterior with a brushed finish, a simple design with some great features. It is also very compact, making it easy to store away if needed.

Unlike other toastie makers I have personally used, this product has a variable temperature control (low, medium & high). This is ideal for the variety recipes the maker's recommend. I've found that the product heats up relatively quickly. I recommend turning it on to heat up while you prepare the food to go in it. The red light indicates the Sandwich Maker is turned on and the green shows it is ready for use. It also has extra-large plates with deep pockets for more toastie fillings - a big bonus in my books!

The non-stick plates are removable by pressing a button on the side of the product. I've found this made cleaning them so much easier. They are also dishwasher safe. I really enjoy using this Sandwich Maker and think it would be a great addition to many student households!

Food-spiration

This product has no limits to what you can make. This is not just your typical sandwich maker, it is so much more than that! It can create Omelettes, Calzones, french toast, quesadillas, pastries and all sorts. I have created a few toasties and an omelette already using the Sandwich Maker to prove how its versatility and why it's a necessity in every student household!

This Sandwich Maker lets you get a lot of filling into your toasties. So far I have made tuna melt, ham & cheese, cheese & onion and cheese & tomato. These are all pretty standard ingredients so please share your more adventurous fillings in the competition at the end of this post. I would definitely recommend buttering the exterior of your toastie for a more cripsy result.

Omelette Recipe

I was pleasantly surprised with how well my omelette turned out! I made enough to fill both sections so my taste tester (Dad) and I had one each. This was enough as a snack, brunch or part of a meal with chips and salad. There are plenty of different ingredients we plan to add to future omelettes but this recipe comes from what we had in the fridge:

I only used 3 eggs so didn't manage to fill both sections fully.

Turn on the Sandwich Maker to medium temperature and melt some butter onto the hot plates.

Mix together to following items:

4 eggs, whisked

1 tbsp milk

Cheese, grated

1 tomato, diced

1/2 handful of spinach, chopped

A pinch of salt and pepper

A sprinkle of mixed herbs

The easiest omelette I've ever made!

Once mixed, pour into the deep hot plates to fill the bottom ones. Leave to cook for 5-7 minutes. It was so much quicker and easy than the more conventional method. I also end up breaking the omelette to turn it over in a pan, so having it cooked from both sides is genius. Plus the non-stick plates work great. I expected a scrabbled mess when attempted to plate up but they all came up with ease!

My Awesome Toastie Challenge

Cuisinart is asking you to create your awesome toastie by launching their Awesome Toastie Challenge! They want to know what combination of fillings you think makes the most awesome toastie ever. Need some inspiration..? How about tomato, mozzarella & rocket focaccia, or spiced apricot French toastie with vanilla and jersey ice cream, or even broad bean, pea and prosciutto frittata?! The possibilities are endless. But those are our ideas, and we want yours!

We’re giving you the chance to win a Cuisinart Sandwich Maker and the chance to have your awesome toastie featured on their website. To enter simply tell us what filling you think would make the most #awesometoastie! This competition is now live on Twitter. Please follow CuisinartUK and Kayspray and tweet us both your perfect toastie filling. Our favourite tweet will win - good luck! The Competition ends October 9th 2015.

*This product was sent to me for review purposes. All opinions are my own.